The media seems obsessed with painting police officers in a bad light, but often forgets the difficult and dangerous situations they deal with.

One of those dramatic incidents was recently caught on camera, and it’s a shocking reminder that any police call can turn deadly in just seconds.

Officer Quincy Smith was responding to a report of a suspicious person when his life changed forever.

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What started as a routine call ended with the officer bleeding next to his patrol car, wondering if he would live. His body-worn camera captured six powerful words that put the altercation in context: “Tell my family that I love them.”

According to the Hampton, South Carolina prosecutor’s office, the dramatic events started when a store clerk called police to report a man in camouflage and a red bandanna trying to grab groceries from customers.

Officer Smith caught up to a man matching the suspect’s description, and ordered him to stop. The man, later identified as Malcolm Antwan Orr, repeatedly ignored the officer.

“Orr refused and continued to walk away from Smith, holding a cellphone to his ear and keeping his right hand in his jacket pocket. Smith told him to take his hand out or he would ‘be tasered,'” explained prosecutor Duffie Stone.

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There was a reason Orr kept his hand in his jacket pocket: He was holding a hidden 9mm pistol.

Without even lifting the phone from his ear, the suspect quickly pulled the handgun from his pocket and fired from almost point-blank range at Quincy Smith.

The criminal squeezed the trigger eight times. At least three of the bullets hit Officer Smith, with one hitting his neck and nearly killing him.

“Dr. James Dunne, the emergency room physician who treated Smith at Memorial Health Medical Center in Savannah, testified that a bullet completely severed a vein in the right side of Smith’s neck,” the prosecutor stated. “A bullet also passed through Smith’s upper torso and was extracted from his back.”

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After first falling to the ground and then managing to retreat back to his patrol car, the gravely wounded police officer didn’t know if he would see his family again.

A glasses camera which Smith had bought for himself on Amazon captured the chilling moment when he asked dispatch to relay a message to his loved ones. That dramatic footage was released online by county officials.

“If but not for the grace of God and some very good doctors, this would not only have been a murder case, but a death penalty case,” said prosecutor Stone.

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Orr was found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

There are many takeaways from this incredible incident. The first is the importance of body-worn cameras, which help protect good officers while also keeping police departments accountable to the public they serve.

Additionally, the terrifying video footage proves that sometimes a Taser just isn’t the right tool for the job. Officers are often chastised for drawing their handguns during an encounter, but this life-and-death incident demonstrates the reason they take precautions. Use of force is sometimes the right response.

Finally, the incident is a stark reminder of the dangers our police officers face on a regular basis. Contrary to the media narrative of rogue police, the vast majority of cops are trying to do a tough job in a deadly world, and then go home safely.

Officer Smith and others like him deserve our support, not our constant criticism. That’s the least America can do for the men and women in blue.